ABC News reported that average excess death rates in Florida and Ohio were 76% higher among Republicans than Democrats between March 2020 and December 2021, according to a working paper released last month by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Vaccine hesitancy among Republicans may be the biggest cause. The partisan gap in the deaths widened between April and December 2021, after all adults became eligible for COVID vaccines. Excess death rates in Florida and Ohio were 153% higher among Republicans than Democrats during that time, the paper showed.
The June study suggested that COVID vaccine uptake explained just 10% of the partisan gap in the deaths. Those researchers suggested that compliance with other public health measures such as mask use and social distancing was a significant factor. It is hard to imagine that people who deny the efficacy of getting vaccinated might also not wear a mask or social distance. This defies science and logic.
The research was limited to Florida and Ohio. It is possible that people from those states are just dumber that Americans from other states. More research is needed. About 20% of the U.S. population still hasn’t received a single Covid shot, according to the CDC. Only 2% of Americans have gotten the new Omicron specific booster shot. As the pandemic continues to play out, we will see more death among vaccine deniers most of whom happen to be Republicans.